Leah Shirley

Exactly a week after she was officially charged with with two felony counts of domestic battery and one misdemeanor stemming from her violent attacks on ex-fiance Gary Shirley, RadarOnline is now reporting that Amber & Gary’s baby “Leah is a ward of the state.”

The ruling came after Amber, 20, and Gary, 24, were summoned to appear in an Anderson, Indiana courtroom on Tuesday afternoon for an emergency child placement hearing concerning their two-year-old.

So what exactly does a ward of the state mean? According to Radar, this means the Department of Child Services is now officially assessing Leah’s living situation. A ward of the state is an adult or child whose guardianship is determined by a judge who appoints a government agency to oversee the ward of the state’s affairs.

The good news for Amber & Gary is that though Leah is a ward of the state, she is still allowed to live with Gary. As reported days ago, Leah has handed over custody of Leah to Gary for the time being.

Radar adds that Amber visited Leah at Gary’s apartment following the court hearing and the Indiana Department of Child Services supervised the visit.

As for what happens next, the DCS will continue to monitor Amber’s progress and also determine if Gary’s home is suitable for Leah to remain in permanently. DCS has also placed a six-month monitoring period on Amber.

TELL US – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE LATEST DEVELOPMENT? DO YOU THINK THERE’S ANY HOPE FOR AMBER?

It seems Teen Mom star Amber Portwood isn’t waiting to lose custody of her 2-year-old daughter as a new report by Life & Style magazine states Amber has handed over custody of Leah to her ex-fiance.

According to the report, Amber, 20, is now allowing daughter Leah, who recently turned 2, to stay with her father Gary Shirley. The reason? Amber is feeling too overwhelmed to handle day-to-day care of Leah especially now that she has been officially charged with two felony counts of domestic battery and one misdemeanor stemming from her violent attacks on Gary.

She is facing up to 3 years in jail plus a $10,000 fine.

The mag however adds that Amber continues to self destruct with her out of control behavior. “Amber’s not in any rush to get Leah back,” an insider close to her reveals. “Amber’s dating all these guys, she has all this fame, she has all this attention. That’s what she wants. She wants to party. She’s not a very good mother right now.”

A second insider adds that her appearance on MTV’s Teen Mom in addition to the popularity the show has received, might be to blame for the path her life has taken. “If she had said no to the show, none of this would be happening.”

And finally, the HollywoodLife is reporting today that both Amber and Gary have suspended licenses. According to the HollywoodLlife, Amber’s license is suspended until she pays a $150 fine. While a source close to Gary tells RadarOnline “he had a ticket for a seatbelt violation and then he was pulled over and the police told him he had a suspended license.”

Poor poor baby Leah.

TELL US – IS LEAH BETTER OFF WITH GARY? DO YOU THINK MTV IS TO BLAME FOR AMBER’S PROBLEMS?